Portable bathing shower

ABSTRACT

A container having an outlet opening in its upper end is suspended in an inverted position, and communicates with a shower head composed of a container having a perforated bottom, so that liquid within the container is discharged intermittently to the shower head under control of Torricellian vacuum developed in the container, and the liquid is discharged constantly from the shower head as a shower of the liquid. The device is well suited for use by campers.

United States Patent Ruscher, Jr.

[54] PORTABLE BATHING SHOWER [72] inventor: Hamid Rtncher, Jr., RD. l,Box 224,

Katonah, N.Y. W536 [221 Filed: Jill-28,1971

[2|] Appl.No.: 110,429

[52] U.S.Cl. 4/151 [51] .......A47k $122,501) l H00 [58]Fielda!Search......................4/l5|,145,152, 153, I54,

[56] References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 1.398.208 ll/l92l Trial..4/lSl [45] July 11, 1972 l,844,038 2/ l 932 Hooker .l ..4/ l 512,364,991 l2/l944 Marshall.. 19/77 3,077,609 2/1963 Siline ..4/l 51Primary Examiner-Herbert F. Ross At!orne -Burgess, Dinldage 84 SprungABSTRACT A container having an outlet opening in its upper end issuspended in an inverted position, and communicates with a shower headcomposed of a container having a perforated bottom, so that liquidwithin the container is discharged intermittently to the shower headunder control of Torricellian vacuum developed in the container. and theliquid is discharged constantly from the shower head as a shower of theliquid. The device is well suited for use by campers.

PMENTEDJUL 1 1 m2 FIG] INVENTOR HAROLD RUSCHERJR & SPRUNG ATTORNEYS.

PORTABLE BATHING suowan INTRODUCTION This invention is concerned withportable bathing showers suitable for use by campers.

My shower is based on and utilizes a Torricellian vacuum. Numerousdevices for dispensing liquid employ that principle. including onecommon type of office drinking fountain, and and animal watering devicessuch as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,364,991 and 2,7ll,7l5. Suchprior art devices supply intermittent demands for water. In myapplication of the Torricellian principle, however. a constant demand ismet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The shower of the invention comprises areservoir container for holding a supply of liquid, having an outletopening at its upper end and being rigid so that a Torricellian vacuumcan be developed therein. Means are provided for suspending thereservoir container in an inverted position for flow of liquid throughthe outlet. A shower head is provided for receiving liquid from thereservoir outlet. The shower head can be, and preferably is, open at thetop to the atmosphere and has a perforated bottom for dispersement ofliquid received thereby, as a shower. The shower head could be a closedcontainer except for the perforations in the bottom, in which case, inuse, the container would communicate with the atmosphere for passage ofair for displacement, via the said perforations. Conduit meanscommunicate the outlet opening of the reservoir container with theshower head container for delivery of liquid from the reservoircontainer to the shower head container. Liquid discharges intermittentlyfrom the reservoir container to the shower head container under controlof Torricellian vacuum developed in the container, and dischargesconstantly from the shower head container.

The suspending means for suspending the reservoir container in aninverted position can be a connector secured to the reservoir forattachment to a hanger for hanging the shower from a support, e.g., abranch. See FIG. 1.

If desired, the invention can be practiced without a reservoir containeroutfitted with a connector. Thus, a sling can be provided for holdingthe container in an inverted position, together with the shower head,and suspending means for suspending the sling and thereby the reservoircontainer from a support.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevation view of a shower according to theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a portion of the shower shown in FIG. 1, taken alongline 2-2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken along line 3--3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section taken along line 5-5 in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a view of a portion of the device shown in FIG. 1 taken alongline 66 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an elevation view of an embodiment wherein a sling is used;and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

In the drawings, like reference characters refer to the same orcorresponding parts.

Referring to FIGS. l-6, the device includes a reservoir container 10 forholding a supply of liquid having an outlet open 11, and otherwise beinga closed container. The container 10 is rigid, so that a Torricellianvacuum can be developed therein. It can be constructed of metal.Alternatively, it can be constructed of plastic, provided the design issuch that the container does not collapse in response to vacuumdeveloped therein, to prevent the development of a vacuum.

Means are provided for suspending the reservoir container in an invertedposition. More particularly, a recess 14 (FIG. 2) is provided adjacentthe bottom of the container, and a bar 13 is fixedly mounted in therecess. The bar 13 serves as the suspending means, and constitutes aconnector for disposing of the container in the inverted position. Oneend of an S-hook I5 is in engagement with the bar 13, and a rope 16engages the other end of the S-hooit. By means of the rope 16, thecontainer is hung from the branch 17. If desired, the hanger, i.e., therope 16, can be connected directly to the bar 13. The other end of therope is secured to, for example, the trunk of the tree providing thebranch 18 to provide the container at a fixed elevation.

The use of the rope 16 as the hanger for the shower facilitates therigging. The free end of the rope can be thrown over a branch and canthen be used to lift the shower to the desired elevation, whereupon thefree end can be secured to the tree trunk. In this practice, the levelof the shower can be set by raising or lowering the rope, and is notdependent on the height of the branch.

A shower head container 18, open at the top to the atmosphere and havingperforations 19 in its bottom, is disposed beneath the container 10 byway of suspending means in the form of hooks 20, which engage holes inthe shower head container 18, and strings 21, which pass through thehand opening 12 of the container. Ifdesired, the strings 21 can beconnected with the threaded cap 23 of spout 24, shortly to be described,instead of connecting with the hand opening 12. In such an alternativeembodiment, the number of pieces to be assembled would be reduced, asthe strings 21 could be permanently connected to the cap 23. Conduitmeans communicate the outlet opening 11 of the container 10 with theshower head container 18. Thus, a spout 24 composed of a tube 22 andthreaded cap 23 is threaded onto the outlet opening 11 for conveying ofliquid from the container 10 to the shower head 18.

A valve is provided for controlling flow from container 10 to the showerhead 18. More particularly, a shutoff valve 25 is mounted on the tube22. The provision of such a valve makes it possible to prevent dischargeof liquid from the container during the setting up of the shower. Thevalve shown is composed of a frame 26, clamp 27, stem 28, and handle 29.The stem 28 is connected to the clamp 27 so that the stem can turnrelative to the clamp, and the ends of the clamp are disposed in grooves30 (FIG. 5) in the frame 26, so that as the handle 29 is turned, theclamp 27 can be moved to open or close the tube 26, as desired.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the container 10 is notoutfitted with suspending means as in the case of the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-6. Rather, the suspending means comprises a sling composed ofside straps 32, end strap 33, and connecting strap 34. These straps canbe formed of textile material. A hanger 31 in the form of a metal striphaving a U-shaped end is provided for hanging of the assembly from thebranch 17. The shower head container 18 is suspended from the sling bytextile straps 35 which connect with one of the side straps 32. Insteadof the metal strip 31, a rope can be used as the hanger.

OPERATION Referring to FIG. 7, a body of liquid 38 is present in thecontainer 10. Liquid flows through conduit 22 into the shower headcontainer 18, providing a body of liquid 39 therein. As taught byTorricelli, the liquid in shower head container 18 rises to a levelabove the outlet opening 41 of conduit 22, whereupon passage of air intothe container 10 is interrupted and a vacuum develops in the space abovethe body of liquid 38 in container 10. Atmospheric pressure acting onthe liquid in shower head container 18 prevents further discharge ofliquid from container 10 to container 18. As the shower of liquid 40discharges from shower head container 18, the level of the liquid inshower head container 18 falls, and when it reaches the level of theopening 41 of conduit 22, air passes into container 10, breading thevacuum, allowing more water to flow into the shower head 18. The levelin the shower head 18 again rises to above the discharge opening 41 ofconduit 22, and then the flow to shower head 18 is again interrupted.This cycle continues, with the flow of liquid into the shower head 18being intermittent while there is a constant discharge of shower 40 fromthe shower head 18 The container can have a capacity of about l.53.5gallons, preferably about 2-3 gallons, or better, about 2.5 gallons. Theshower head container 18 can be a cup of about 6-10 inches in diameterand having a height of about 3-5 inches. I have found that a containerhaving a capacity of about 2.5 gallons, outfitted with a shower headcontainer of about 6 inches diameter and 4 inches in height and havingabout 18 holes of about one-sixteenth to three sixteenths inchesdiameter, is well suited for the purposes of the invention. Thereby ashower of about about 3% to 5 minutes duration can be obtained.

In place of recess 14 and bar 13 shown in FIGS. l3, an ear having anaperture therein can be mounted on the side of the container 10, so thatthe ear projects outwardly from the side wall of the container.

What is claimed is:

l. A shower suitable for use by campers comprising:

a. a reservoir container for holding a supply of liquid having an outletopening at its upper end, and being rigid so that a Torricellian vacuumcan be developed therein,

b. suspending means for suspending the reservoir container in aninverted position for flow of liquid through the outlet,

c. a shower head container having a top communicating with theatmosphere and a perforated bottom for dispersement of liquid containedtherein as a shower thereof,

d. conduit means communicating the outlet opening of the reservoircontainer with the shower head container for delivery of liquid from thereservoir container to the shower head container for intermittentdischarge of the liquid from the reservoir container to the shower headcontainer under control of Torricellian vacuum developed in thecontainer, and constant discharge of liquid from the shower headcontainer, with the reservoir container inverted and holding a supply ofliquid.

2. A shower according to claim 1, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.

3. A shower according to claim 1, and suspending means for the showerhead container for suspending the shower head container beneath thereservoir container.

4. A shower according to claim 1, and hanger means attached to thesuspending means for hanging the shower from a support.

5. A shower according to 1,

said suspending means being a connector secured to the reservoircontainer for cooperation with a hanger for hanging the shower from asupport,

and including suspending means for the shower head container forsuspending the shower head container beneath the reservoir container.

6. A shower according to claim 5, and hanger means attached to thesuspending means for hanging the shower from a support.

7. A shower according to claim 6, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.

8. A shower according to claim I, said suspending means for thereservoir container comprising a sling for holding the container in theinverted position, and including suspending means for the shower headcontainer for suspending the shower head container beneath the reservoircontainer.

9. A shower according to claim 8, and hanger means attached to thesuspending means for hanging the shower from a support.

10. A shower according to claim 9, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.

11. A shower according to claim 10, the suspending means for the showerhead container suspending the shower head container from the sling.

12. A shower sub-assembly for use with a reservoir container for holdinga supply of liquid having an outlet opening at its upper end, and beingrigid so that a Torricellian vacuum can be developed therein, to form ashower suitable for use by campers, comprising:

a. a sling for the reservoir container for holding the reservoircontainer in an inverted position for development of said Torricellianvacuum and the flow of liquid through the reservoir container outletopening,

b. a shower head container having a top communicating with theatmosphere and a perforated bottom for dispersement of liquid containedtherein as a shower thereof,

. a shower head container suspending means for suspending the showerhead container for receiving liquid from the reservoir when thereservoir is in the inverted position holding a supply of liquid, via aconduit means communicating the outlet opening of the reservoircontainer with the shower head container for inten-nittent discharge ofthe liquid from the reservoir container to the shower head containerunder control of Torricellian vacuum developed in the reservoircontainer, and constant discharge of liquid from the shower headcontainer.

13. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, said shower head containersuspending means suspending the shower head container from the sling.

14. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, including said conduit meansfor communicating the reservoir outlet opening with the shower headcontainer.

15. A sub-assembly according to claim 14, said conduit means beingoutfitted with a shutoff valve.

16. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, and hanger means attached tothe sling for hanging the shower from a support.

17. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, said shower head containersuspending means, suspending the shower head container from the sling,and including said conduit means for communicating the reservoir outletopening with the shower head container, and hanger means attached to thesling for hanging the shower from a support.

18. A sub-assembly according to claim 17, said conduit means beingoutfitted with a shutoff valve.

* I. I l 1'

1. A shower suitable for use by campers comprising: a. a reservoircontainer for holding a supply of liquid having an outlet opening at itsupper end, and being rigid so that a Torricellian vacuum can bedeveloped therein, b. suspending means for suspending the reservoircontainer in an inverted position for flow of liquid through the outlet,c. a shower head container having a top communicating with theatmosphere and a perforated bottom for dispersement of liquid containedtherein as a shower thereof, d. conduit means communicating the outletopening of the reservoir container with the shower head container fordelivery of liquid from the reservoir container to the shower headcontainer for intermittent discharge of the liquid from the reservoircontainer to the shower head container under control of Torricellianvacuum developed in the container, and constant discharge of liquid fromthe shower head container, with the reservoir container inverted andholding a supply of liquid.
 2. A shower according to claim 1, saidconduit means being outfitted with a shutoff valve.
 3. A showeraccording to claim 1, and suspending means for the shower head containerfor suspending the shower head container beneath the reservoircontainer.
 4. A shower according to claim 1, and hanger means attachedto the suspending means for hanging the shower from a support.
 5. Ashower according to 1, said suspending means being a connector securedto the reservoir container for cooperation with a hanger for hanging theshower from a support, and including suspending means for the showerhead container for suspending the shower head container beneath thereservoir container.
 6. A shower according to claim 5, and hanger meansattached to the suspending means for hanging the shower from a support.7. A shower according to claim 6, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.
 8. A shower according to claim 1, said suspendingmeans for the reservoir container comprisiNg a sling for holding thecontainer in the inverted position, and including suspending means forthe shower head container for suspending the shower head containerbeneath the reservoir container.
 9. A shower according to claim 8, andhanger means attached to the suspending means for hanging the showerfrom a support.
 10. A shower according to claim 9, said conduit meansbeing outfitted with a shutoff valve.
 11. A shower according to claim10, the suspending means for the shower head container suspending theshower head container from the sling.
 12. A shower sub-assembly for usewith a reservoir container for holding a supply of liquid having anoutlet opening at its upper end, and being rigid so that a Torricellianvacuum can be developed therein, to form a shower suitable for use bycampers, comprising: a. a sling for the reservoir container for holdingthe reservoir container in an inverted position for development of saidTorricellian vacuum and the flow of liquid through the reservoircontainer outlet opening, b. a shower head container having a topcommunicating with the atmosphere and a perforated bottom fordispersement of liquid contained therein as a shower thereof, c. ashower head container suspending means for suspending the shower headcontainer for receiving liquid from the reservoir when the reservoir isin the inverted position holding a supply of liquid, via a conduit meanscommunicating the outlet opening of the reservoir container with theshower head container for intermittent discharge of the liquid from thereservoir container to the shower head container under control ofTorricellian vacuum developed in the reservoir container, and constantdischarge of liquid from the shower head container.
 13. A sub-assemblyaccording to claim 12, said shower head container suspending meanssuspending the shower head container from the sling.
 14. A sub-assemblyaccording to claim 12, including said conduit means for communicatingthe reservoir outlet opening with the shower head container.
 15. Asub-assembly according to claim 14, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.
 16. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, andhanger means attached to the sling for hanging the shower from asupport.
 17. A sub-assembly according to claim 12, said shower headcontainer suspending means, suspending the shower head container fromthe sling, and including said conduit means for communicating thereservoir outlet opening with the shower head container, and hangermeans attached to the sling for hanging the shower from a support.
 18. Asub-assembly according to claim 17, said conduit means being outfittedwith a shutoff valve.